Population Aging Identified As Largest Contributor To The Increasing Burden Of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Novel investigation shows that successful astir 1 3rd of countries and territories worldwide, organization aging was nan largest contributor to nan increasing load of musculoskeletal disorders from 1990 to 2021. The caller study successful nan Annals of nan Rheumatic Diseases, published by Elsevier, is poised to pass targeted nationalist wellness strategies and healthcare assets allocation to alleviate nan world load and economical effect of these disorders.

Musculoskeletal disorders-conditions for illustration arthritis, osteoporosis, and backmost pain-are among nan starring causes of disablement globally. As nan world organization ages astatine an accelerating pace, truthful do nan associated wellness and economical challenges. While a increasing concern, small was known astir to what grade nan expanding load of musculoskeletal disorders is straight driven by organization aging itself, arsenic opposed to different factors for illustration organization growth.

This caller study quantified nan nett effect of organization aging connected nan world load and healthcare costs of these disorders. Using nan Global Burden of Disease 2021 data, researchers disentangled nan effects of organization aging from those of organization maturation and changes successful age-specific epidemiological rates, while accounting for geographic variation, sociodemographic factors, activity differences, and awesome musculoskeletal subcategories. They besides estimated healthcare costs of musculoskeletal disorders attributed to organization aging.

Population aging is an inevitable world trend, but its effect connected musculoskeletal disorders is not arsenic distributed. Our study shows that middle-income countries are experiencing nan steepest proportional increases yet often person nan slightest prepared healthcare systems to respond."

Hai-Feng Pan, MD, lead investigator, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, and Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui, China

Key findings include:

• In astir 1 3rd of countries and territories, organization aging was nan largest contributor to nan expanding load of musculoskeletal disorders.
• Middle-income countries bore nan highest proportional load of musculoskeletal disorders from organization aging, contempt having younger populations than high-income countries. This reflects nan accelerated demographic displacement successful these countries mixed pinch constricted wellness strategy readiness to meet older adults' needs.
• Globally, men knowledgeable greater effect of organization aging, peculiarly successful high- and high-middle-income countries. Women were much affected successful low- to middle-income countries.
• Osteoarthritis was nan astir affected musculoskeletal upset globally, followed by gout and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Population aging-related musculoskeletal disorders costs US$96 cardinal successful world healthcare costs successful 2021, balanced to 0.10% of nan world gross home merchandise (GDP), surpassing nan costs attributed to communal modifiable consequence factors.

"This investigation has confirmed that organization maturation and aging of populations successful each countries thrust astir of these increases, and nan study's characteristic lies successful its inclusion of nan financial effect connected societies aiming to present healthcare for musculoskeletal conditions," comments starring authority successful nan section Professor Lyn March, AM, MBBS, PhD, Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Principal Collaborator; Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health (GMUSC), Executive Co-Lead; and Professor of Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology, University of Sydney and Kolling Institute, Australia. "Musculoskeletal wellness is crying retired for attraction and costing individuals and societies physically, emotionally, and financially. If not now, erstwhile will location beryllium a world strategy addressing nan symptom and mobility nonaccomplishment of nan billions surviving pinch a musculoskeletal disorder?"

Co-lead interrogator of nan study Shi-Yang Guan, MD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, and Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui, notes, "Our results tin thief policymakers prioritize interventions tailored to sociodemographic context, activity differences, and circumstantial musculoskeletal disorders, including strengthening preventive measures, improving semipermanent management, and ensuring sustainable financing to reside nan rising costs attributed to organization aging. Ultimately, this could trim disability, amended value of life for older adults, and make healthcare systems much resilient."

"This study is simply a wake-up telephone for politicians and different stakeholders successful nan European Union and different parts of nan world to attraction investigation efforts connected understanding, preventing, and treating musculoskeletal disorders, specified arsenic osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, successful an aging organization to guarantee aging successful wellness and pinch bully value of life," adds Josef Smolen, MD, Medical University of Vienna, and Editor-in-Chief of nan Annals of nan Rheumatic Diseases.